Talks ongoing to let Saudi Arabia's judoka fight

LONDON 
A spokesman for the International Judo Federation says talks are under way to allow a woman to compete for Saudi Arabia at the Olympics after the federation said she would not be allowed to fight in a headscarf.

Saudi Arabia had only agreed to let women participate if they adhered to the kingdom's conservative Islamic traditions, including wearing a headscarf.

On Thursday, the International Judo Federation said she would not be allowed to wear a headscarf because it was against principles of judo and raised safety concerns.

Nicolas Messner is a spokesman for the federation. He says there is "good collaboration" to find a solution between judo officials, the International Olympic Committee and Saudi Arabia.

Messner says wearing a headscarf could be dangerous because the sport includes chokeholds and strangleholds.